‘The Bachelor’ creator Mike Fleiss leaves the franchise

Mike Fleiss, the creator of “The Bachelor” and all of its various offshoots like “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise,” is stepping away from the franchise after 21 years. Variety reports that “The Bachelor” Season 27, which ended Monday night, will be Fleiss’ last. 

“First and foremost, congratulations are in order for Zach [Shallcross] and Kaity [Biggar]. I wish them a long and happy life together,” Fleiss said in a statement, referencing the couple who got engaged in “The Bachelor” Season 27 finale.

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“I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years,” Fleiss said. “They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust ‘The Bachelor’ franchise and keep this lightening [sic] in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue.”

Going forward, showrunning and executive-producing duties will be handled by a trio of franchise veterans: Claire Freeland, who formerly served as showrunner of “The Bachelor Canada;” Jason Ehrlich, former showrunner of several seasons of “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” and “Bachelor Pad” over a decade ago; and longtime executive producer Bennett Graebner, who has handled many day-to-day production responsibilities in the franchise for years. Fleiss has not been involved day-to-day in the franchise for a decade. 

No reason for Fleiss’ exit was provided. 

Fleiss has overseen the franchise since its genesis in 2002, and has weathered personal and professional controversies over the course of its run. 

“The Bachelor” is still one of ABC’s most popular shows, but it has seen significant ratings erosion in the past few years. According to TVLine, the most recent season averaged 3.7 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating (with Live+7 playback), which is down 18 percent and 27 percent from last season and 43 percent and 56 percent from three years ago.

Production on Season 20 of “The Bachelorette,” which will premiere this summer with lead Charity Lawson, is underway.

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